{"nrhp_refnum":"04000083","name":"Bissell Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Heath Rd., MA 8A over Mill Brook","address_restricted":false,"city":"Charlemont","county":"Franklin County","state":"MA","lat":42.63247723300003,"lon":-72.86896073399998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-02-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-lane, timber-framed covered bridge carrying Heath Road (MA Route 8A) over Mill Brook in Charlemont, Franklin County, Massachusetts. Built in 1951, it replaced a similar bridge from about 1881.","why_significant":"It was the first covered timber-frame bridge built in Massachusetts in the 20th century and one of only four timber bridges built by the Commonwealth since 1950. It used the Timber Engineering Company's split-ring and shear-plate connectors and is a near replica of the earlier bridge, built after local residents resisted a concrete-and-steel replacement. It is also a gateway to the Charlemont Village Historic District and a scenic local landmark.","narrative":"Spanning a rocky, wooded gorge on Mill Brook in Charlemont, this covered bridge carries Heath Road (Route 8A). Built in 1951, it is a 92-foot, six-bay timber structure using a Long Through Truss, with Douglas fir timbers, spruce wall boarding and a cedar-shingled gabled roof. Timber connectors and shear plates designed by the Timber Engineering Company hold the frame together. It replaced a similar bridge from about 1881 that state officials condemned. Charlemont residents strongly opposed a modern concrete-and-steel substitute, and their campaign produced a near replica of the old bridge, though wider, taller and longer to meet modern safety needs. It was the first covered timber-frame bridge built in Massachusetts in the 20th century. Designed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Works and built by T. J. Harvey and Son of Adams, it also forms a scenic northern approach to the Charlemont Village Historic District, near a waterfall and old mill remains.","period_of_significance":"1951-1954","architect_builder":"T.J. Harvey & Son (Builder); Michael J. Mahiljan (Designer of record), MA Dept. of Public Works","architectural_style":"Long Through Truss","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as \"Not in use\" on the form.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:04.823809-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/43/7951/63795143/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/04000083.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000083/d07ed2ab4d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000083/d07ed2ab4d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BISSELL_BRIDGE.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE &amp;amp; ROY KLOTZ MD</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BISSELL_BRIDGE.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795143","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bissell_Bridge_(Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4918444"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/franklin-county/bissell-bridge-04000083/"}